Babylon (2022)

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Damien Chazelle’s latest is one of the most controversial movies of the year, if only because it’s sparked a huge conversation about movies. It’s funny that a movie about the changing canvas of filmmaking sparked a very heated discourse about the changing canvas movies and bringing in audiences. The financial bomb feels a lot like Damien Chazelle correcting course for the sake of Oscar glory. Where as “La La Land” was a simple movie with aspirations to pay tribute to Hollywood, “Babylon” is a large, overlong, sweeping epic that aspires to pay tribute to Hollywood.

It doesn’t just pay tribute to Hollywood, though, it bends over to kiss its own ass every chance it gets.

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BAD MOVIE MONDAY: SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT PART 2 (1987)

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Since Christmas was yesterday, Happy Holidays to all of you out there in internet land by the way, I’ve chosen the immortal classic Silent Night Deadly Night 2 for BAD MOVIE MONDAY. Kind of as my gift to everyone who bothers to read this silly little column. It’s my way of both thanking you for listening to the insane ramblings of my diseased brain and of introducing you to the Silent Night, Deadly Night series of films. A series that I feel is rather unique by the fact that every entry goes more and more off the rails as it progresses. Parts 3, 4 and 5 get REALLY wild, but that’s for another time Continue reading →

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

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Benoit Blanc and the “Knives Out” franchise is the movie series that Gen Z and Millennials have been waiting for, for a long time. For years, there were so many great series and movies with ensemble casts concerning a murder mystery or mysterious death, and we missed out on that great sub-genre. That is until Rian Johnson offered his deliciously entertaining “Knives Out” in 2019. He follows that up with “Glass Onion,” a movie that is a continuation but is by no means a repeat of the original film. Johnson absolutely thrives on subverting expectations while delivering some great social commentary right down to the literal Glass Onion.

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Violent Night (2022)

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Every now and then we need one of these silly, slapstick, self aware action adventures, and “Violent Night” fits the bill. It watches like a sketch on SNL, adapted in full length form. From minute one, it never forgets what kind of movie it is and paints a crude stroke over the Christmas spirit. For its intended audience, it’s a refreshing antidote to typical holiday fare. Tommy Wirkola’s “Violent Night” is “Die Hard,” and Michael Dougherty’s “Krampus,” meets “Bad Santa,” with full shot of Christmas adrenaline.

It also props Santa Claus up as something of a major bad ass.

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Fall (2022)

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There are two types of survival films: One where our characters are in a situation where despite their best efforts, are screwed. The second type is where common sense evades moronic protagonists who dig themselves in to a hole from minute one. Scott Mann’s “Fall” is the second type. Despite being acrophobic’s nightmare (that is about all “Fall” has going for it) it’s basically a how to, of what not to do when honoring a loved one.

DO spread their ashes if you want; it’s trite but sweet.

DON’T climb to the top of a humongous, unstable radio tower to do it.

What ever happened to lakes, oceans, or stable cliffs?

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Smile (2022)

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I think we can all agree that the marketing for Parker Finn’s “Smile” has been pretty genius. It’s a movie that has built enough clout to attract an audience that’s been big enough to continue a large swell of even more horror films coming in to theaters. It’s good because now we can start to see more movies as immensely disturbing as “Smile,” one hopes. While it’s often compared to “It Follows,” I’d say “Smile” is more in the vein of “The Babadook.”

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The Bootleg Files: John Denver and the Muppets – A Christmas Together

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BOOTLEG FILES 822: “John Denver and The Muppets – A Christmas Together” (1979 television special).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It was never made available on any home entertainment format.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe next Christmas?

When I was kid in yesteryear, every Christmas season would bring a surplus number of television specials tied to the holiday. Some specials became annual events, such as “A Charlie Brown Christmas” or “Frosty the Snowman,” but most seemed to be one-and-done affairs that might have been lost to obscurity had it not been for the prescience of pop culture vultures to videotape those shows and save them for future viewing.
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